Door check



June 3, 1969 P 3,447,191

DOOR CHECK Filed March 6, 1967 ale 3 F/G.

INVENTOR. ROBBERT N. PETERS Atty.

United States Patent Int. Cl. Ef 5/02 US. Cl. 1682 20 Claims ABSTRACT OFTHE DISCLOSURE This door check combines a torsion bar mounted verticallyon the door pillar in the door jamb and a link pivotally mounted at oneend on the door and having a hook on its other end arranged to engage apin on the crank end of the torsion bar for a positive stop in the fullyopen position of the door. A roller mounted on the link inwardly fromthe hook end has rolling engagement on a surface of the pillar between alarger roller on the crank end of the torsion bar and the pillar, thesmaller roller going from a position on one side of the larger roller inthe closed position of the door to a hold-open position on the otherside thereof when the hook engages the pin in the open-position of thedoor, the arrangement being such that there is greater resistance toclosing of the door than in the opening thereof.

Summary of the inventiom This combination door check and hold-opendevice is so compact that it folds in the door jamb. A torsion bar ismounted substantially vertically on the door pillar in the door jamb andhas a crank end portion with a vertical pin on the extremity thereofcarrying a roller, the torsion bar being preloaded so that the rollertends to bear firmly against the face of the pillar. The door has on itsedge portion a recess transversely thereof in which is housed a linkpivotally mounted at one end on the door and having a hook on the otherend arranged to engage the vertical pin on the torsion bar under theaforesaid roller, a smaller roller mounted on the link inwardly from thehook being arranged to have rolling engagement on the larger rollerbetween it and the face of the pillar to roll from a position on oneside of the larger roller in the closed position of the door to aholdopen position on the other side thereof when the hook engages thepin in the open position of the door, greater resistance to closing ofthe door being afiorded with this construction than in the opening ofthe door.

This invention relates to a combination door check and hold-open devicefor use on doors of motor vehicles.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a combination doorcheck and hold-open device in which a torsion bar carrying a roller on avertical pin on its springable crank end is mounted on one of the doorand pillar parts in the small space available between the door and jamb,the crank pin carrying the roller being also arranged when the doorreaches fully opened position to limit its movement as a door check byengagement in a hook on the end of one arm of a generally U-shaped linkthat is pivoted on the other of said door and pillar parts on thecross-portion of the U as its vertical axis, while a second rollercarried on the down-turned end of the other arm of the U is arranged tomove from a holdopen position on one side of the first mentioned rollerin the fully opened position of the door behind the roller to ahold-closed position on the other side of said roller in the closedposition of the door, movement of the second roller in both directionsgiving an assist action to the door both in opening and closing, byvirtue of the spring tension in the torsion bar active on the firstroller.

Another object is to provide a combination door check and hold-opendevice of quite compact design adapted to fit neatly in the door jam'band also be free of rattle, due to the amount of spring pressure exertedon the parts in the closed position of the door.

A further object is to provide a device of the kind mentioned in whichall of the operation involves a rolling action as distinguished from asliding action, whereby wear is reduced to a minimum and quiet and easyoperation is assured.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

FIGS. 1 and 2 are a face view and plan view, respectively, showing thecombination door check and holdopen device of this invention inoperation with the door held fully opened, and

FIG. 3 is a plan view like FIG. 2, but showing the door closed, FIGS. 2and 3 showing in dot-and-da sh lines enough of the door and pillar tomake the operation clear.

The same reference numerals are applied to corresponding parts in thesethree views. iv

Referring to the drawing, an automobile or other motor vehicle inconnection with which the present invention is used may comprise a doormounting pillar 10 having a door 11 carried thereon on a pair ofvertically spaced hinges 12 and 13 to swing outwardly from the closedposition of FIG. 3 to the open position of FIGS. 1 and 2 about asubstantially vertical hinging axis defined by the aligned substantiallyvertical pintles 14 of the two hinges. The combination door check andhold-open device of the present invention is indicated generally by thereference numeral 15, and includes a substantially vertical torsion barelement 16 having a U-shaped lower end portion 17 that is firmly clampedto the flat side face 18 of the pillar 10 by means of a strap 19 weldedor otherwise suitably secured to the pillar, as indicated at 20 inFIG. 1. The other end 21 of the torsion bar is in the form of a crankproviding a substantially vertical pin 22 on its outer end at apredetermined radial distance from and parallel to the substantiallyvertical middle twistable portion 23 of the torsion bar, which issupported at its opposite ends on pillar 10 by straps 19 and 19'. Thepin 22 carries a roller 24, which, due to the preloading of the torsionbar 16, tends normally to be pressed against the fiat side face 18 ofthe pillar 10, as seen in FIGS. 1 and 2. Cooperating with the torsionbar 16 and its roller 24 for a combination door checking and hold-openaction, the generally U- shaped link 25 is disposed substantiallyhorizontally with the cross-portion 26 thereof substantially verticallydisposed and pivoted in a bearing 27 provided on the outer end of abracket 28 that is suitably secured to the edge portion of the door 11in a recess 29 which extends transversely of the edge portion of thedoor and is just deep enough to provide room in the door jamb for thecombination door check and hold-open device 15 in its folded conditionin the closed position of the door, as seen in FIG. 3, and also providesample operating clearance for said device in the opening and closing ofthe door. The upper arm 30 of this U-shaped link 25 carries a smallerroller 31 on the downwardly bent vertical outer end 32 thereof, thisroller being caged between the upper and lower arms 30 and 33 of saidlink and being arranged to move from one extreme position (FIG. 3)behind the larger roller 24 in the closed position of the door to theother extreme, which is the hold-open position, in front of the largerroller 24 in the fully opened position of the door, as seen in FIGS. 1and 2. To provide working clearance with respect to the larger roller24, the arm 30 carries the smaller roller 31 on an offset outer endportion provided by making the arm arcuate in a horizontal plane on along radius, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, this being, of course, necessaryin the closed position of the door where the smaller roller 31 has movedto a position behind the larger roller 24, when the arm 30 is disposedbetween the roller 24 and the flat face 18 on the pillar 10. The lowerarm 33 of the link 25, which is substantially straight, is appreciablylonger than the curved upper arm 30 and has a hook 34 formed on itsouter end and disposed in a horizontal plane and arranged as seen inFIGS. 1 and 2 to engage the pin 22 on crank 21 under roller 24. Theroller 24 is retained between staked portions 35 and 36 on pin 22against vertical movement out of the horizontal plane of movement ofroller 31, so that there will never be any interference with the hookingof the link 25 on the pin 22 when the door is swung to the fully openedposition. For a similar reason it may be desirable to provide stakedprojections 35' and 36 on the vertical portion 26 above and belowbearing 27, to limit vertical movement of link 25. The lower arm 33 ofthe link 25 may be of such a length in relation to that of the upper arm30 that the hook 34 positively limits door opening movement almost atthe same point that the roller 31 assumes its hold-open position, asseen in FIG. 2, or the arm 33 can be provided of a greater length toallow more lost motion. In the fully opened position of the door, roller24 is in engagement with the fiat face 20 on the pillar and the link 25exerts a pull substantially in line with the crank 21, as seen in FIG.2, so that the door 11 is positively limited against any further openingmovement regardless of any wind pressure on it or the pressure of abystander leaning against it.

In operation, the door 11 swings open through nearly ninety degrees fromthe closed position of FIG. 3 to the fully opened position of FIG. 2.The combination door check and hold-open device has its smaller roller31 move through a relatively small distance between the larger roller 24and the fiat face 18 of pillar 10 as it moves from a position behind theroller 24 in FIG. 3 to the holdopen position in front of it shown inFIG. 2'. In the closed position of the door (FIG. 3), roller 24 rests onthe curved upper arm 30 of link, thereby insuring freedom from rattle,the torsion bar 16 in this position having its crank end 21 deflectedaway from the face 18 of pillar 10 to provide added spring pressure. Ifthe hook 34 were spaced farther from roller 31, there would still be aholdopen action but the door could, of course, swing open farther andwould be movable in its fully opened position freely through a slightlylarger angle limited by the roller 31. It is clear that all of theoperation of the present device involves a rolling action for minimumfriction and wear, the only appreciable resistance to door openingmovement being that resulting from the further spring loading of thetorsion bar 16 as the smaller roller 31 wedges its way between thelarger roller 24 and the flat face 18 of pillar 10. There is moremechanical advantage in the door opening movement than in the doorclosing movement, as can easily be seen by comparing FIGS. 2 and 3, theroller 31 having to move roller 24 only slightly in the door openingmovement but much farther in the door closing movement and with theroller 24 in a less favorable position relative to roller 31. The springaction of the torsion bar 16 assists the opening of the door once theroller 31 passes a dead-center position with respect to the roller 24,and, of course, this same assist action is at work in the closing of thedoor when the roller 31 again passes the dead-center position withrespect to roller 24 in returning. The fact that the roller 24 is heldaway from the face 18 of the pillar 10 in the closed position of thedoor, as seen in FIG. 3, is of importance from the standpoint ofpreventing rattle when the car is in motion, the torsion bar 16 beingloaded beyond its preload condition with roller 24 in engagement withthe upper arm 30 of the link 25 holding the roller 31 under springpressure in engagement with the flat face 18 of the pillar 10.

While the device 15 has been described as having its torsion bar element16 mounted on the door pillar 10 and the link 25 as mounted on the door11, it should be clear from a study of FIGS. 2 and 3 that thearrangement could be reversed. In other words, the part numbered 11could be the pillar, and the part numbered 10 the door.

While I have disclosed the device 15 as utilizing spring steel Wire onboth the pillar and door mounted parts 16 and 25, it should beunderstood that the invention is not limited to wire construction,inasmuch as stamped and formed sheet metal parts may be used, the doorlink 25 being especially well adapted for such construction.

It is believed the foregoing description conveys a good understanding ofthe objects and advantages of my invention.

I claim:

1. A combination check and hold-open for door and body memberscomprising an elongated generally U- shaped check link having two armsof different lengths with a hook on the outer end of the longer armserving as a positive limit stop, the shorter arm carrying a firstroller on its outer end rotatable on a substantially vertical axis,means for mounting said check link on one of said members for pivotalmovement in a substantially horizontal plane, and an elongated torsionbar mounted substantially vertically on the other of said members, thebar having a crank on one end with a substantially vertical pin on itsfree end on which a second roller is rotatable on a substantiallyvertical axis, said hook being engageable with said pin to limit dooropening movement, said first roller rollably engaging said second rollerand moving in the door opening movement from a position on one side ofsaid second roller to a position on the other side thereof to serve ahold-open function.

2. A structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein the torsion bar has apreload spring tension therein.

3. A structure as set forth in claim 2 wherein the first roller inmoving from the one position to the other is arranged to wedge its waybetween the second roller and a surface on the member on which thetorsion bar is mounted thereby stressing said torsion bar above itspreload tension.

4. A structure as set forth in claim 2 wherein the first roller inmoving from the one position to the other is arranged to wedge its waybetween the second roller and a surface on the member on which thetorsion bar is mounted, thereby stressing said torsion bar above itspreload tension, the link in the closed position of the door membermaintaining said torsion bar stressed somewhat above its preloadtension.

5. A structure as set forth in claim 2 wherein the first roller inmoving from the one position to the other is arranged to wedge its waybetween the second roller and a surface on the member on which thetorsion bar is mounted, thereby stressing said torsion bar above itspreload tension, the short arm carrying the first roller having anoffset portion intermediate its ends which in the closed position of thedoor lies between the second roller and the member on which the torsionbar is mounted.

6. A structure as set forth in claim 1 including means for supportingsaid second roller on said crank pin in a plane above the horizontalplane of the arm carrying the hook on its outer end, so that the hookcan engage the pin below the second roller.

7. A structure as set forth in claim 1 including a radial projection onsaid crank pin for supporting said second roller in a plane above thehorizontal plane of the arm carrying the hook on its outer end, so thatthe hook can engage the pin below the second roller.

8. A structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein said torsion bar and saidcheck link together with said first and second rollers are in the closedposition of the door disposed substantially completely in the door jambbetween the edge portion of the door member and the opposed face of thebody member.

9. A structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein said torsion bar and saidcheck link together with said first and second rollers are in the closedposition of the door disposed substantially completely in the door jambbetween the edge portion of the door member and the opposed face of bodymember, the link and torsion bar crank being hooked together anddisposed in substantially endwise alignment when the door is open.

10. A combination check and hold-open for door and body memberscomprising an elongated check link having a hook on the outer endserving as a positive limit stop, means defining a first roundedenlargement on said link intermediate its ends, means for mounting saidcheck link on one of said members for pivotal movement in asubstantially horizontal plane, and an elongated torsion bar mountedsubstantially vertically on the other of said members, the bar having acrank on one end with a substantially vertical pin on its free endhaving means defining a second rounded enlargement thereon, said hookbeing engageable with said pin to limit door opening movement, saidfirst rounded enlargement engaging said second rounded enlargement andmoving in the door opening movement from a position on one side of saidsecond rounded enlargement to a position on the other side thereof toserve a hold-open function.

11. A structure as set forth in claim wherein the torsion bar has apreload spring tension therein.

12. A structure as set forth in claim 11 wherein the first roundedenlargement in moving from the one position to the other is arranged towedge its way between the second rounded enlargement and a surface onthe member on which the torsion bar is mounted, thereby stressing saidtorsion bar above its preload tension.

13. A structure as set forth in claim 11 wherein the first roundedenlargement in moving from the one position to the other is arranged towedge its way between the second rounded enlargement and a surface onthe member on which the torsion bar is mounted, therebv stressing saidtorsion bar above its preload tension, the link in the closed positionof the door and body members maintaining said torsion bar stresssomewhat above its preload tension.

14. A structure as set forth in claim 11 wherein the first roundedenlargement in moving from the one position to the other is arranged towedge its way between the second rounded enlargement and a surface onthe member on which the torsion bar is mounted, thereby stressing saidtorsion bar above its preload tension, the link having an offset portionintermediate the ends thereof which in the closed position of the doorlies between the second rounded enlargement and the member on which thetorsion bar is mounted.

15. A structure as set forth in claim 10 wherein said torsion bar andsaid check link together with said first and second rounded enlargementsare in the closed position of the door disposed substantially completelyin the door jamb between the edge portion of the door member and theopposed face of the body member.

16. A structure as set forth in claim 10 wherein said torsion bar andsaid check link together with said first and second rounded enlargementsare in the closed position of the door disposed substantially completelyin the door jamb between the edge portion of the door member and theopposed face of the body member, the link and torsion bar crank beinghooked together and disposed in substantially endwise alignment when thedoor is fully opened.

17. A structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein the first roller is ofsmaller diameter than the second roller.

18. A structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein the first roller is ofsmaller diameter than the second roller, the parts being so arrangedrelative to one another as to set up greater resistance to door closingthan to door opening.

19. A structure as set forth in claim 10 wherein the first roundedenlargement is of smaller diameter than the second rounded enlargement.

20. A structure as set forth in claim 10 wherein the first roundedenlargement is of smaller diameter than the second rounded enlargement,the parts being so arranged relative to one another as to set up greaterresistance to door closing than to door opening.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,535,668 4/1925 Jostedt a 1682 X2,140,958 12/1938 Jacobs 1682 2,675,578 4/ 1954 Atwood et al. 16-852,779,050 1/1957 Semar 1682 2,787,019 4/1957 Galla 16-85 3,065,49711/1962 Faber 16-142 3,153,260 10/1964 Gionet 16-145 X 3,165,777 1/1965Peras 1685 BOBBY R. GAY, Primary Examiner. I. L. KOHNEN, AssistantExaminer.

